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Synonyms

withdraw

American

[with-draw, with-] / wɪðˈdrɔ, wɪθ- /

verb (used with object)

to draw back, away, or aside; take back; remove.

She withdrew her hand from his. He withdrew his savings from the bank.
to retract or recall.

to withdraw an untrue charge.

Synonyms:

disavow, rescind, revoke
to cause (a person) to undergo withdrawal from addiction to a substance.

verb (used without object)

to go or move back, away, or aside; retire; retreat.

to withdraw from the room.
to remove oneself from some activity, competition, etc..

He withdrew before I could nominate him.
to cease using or consuming an addictive narcotic (followed byfrom ).

to withdraw from heroin.
Parliamentary Procedure. to remove an amendment, motion, etc., from consideration.

withdraw British

/ wɪðˈdrɔː /

verb

(tr) to take or draw back or away; remove
(tr) to remove from deposit or investment in a bank, building society, etc
(tr) to retract or recall (a statement, promise, etc)
(intr) to retire or retreat

the troops withdrew
to back out (of) or depart (from)

he withdrew from public life
(intr) to detach oneself socially, emotionally, or mentally

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

See depart.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of withdraw

First recorded in 1175–1225, withdraw is from the Middle English word withdrawen. See with-, draw

Explanation

To withdraw is to take something back or remove yourself from a situation. You might withdraw money from the bank or withdraw yourself from an argument if it gets out of hand. The word withdraw comes from Middle English and still means to draw or take back, like if you withdraw your hand when you’re done holding hands with someone. A newer definition of withdraw is to stay away from others or stop participating in something. You might withdraw from society by holing up in your house, or withdraw from school by dropping out. Another way to withdraw is to promise to do something but then change your mind.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing withdraw

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

withdraw withdraws withdrew withdrawn withdrawing

Then, just six days into filming, a new hip injury forced Nadal to withdraw from the Australian Open, casting a shadow over his final months on the professional circuit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Intense public scrutiny about Grande's personal life, her health and her weight have prompted the star to withdraw from the public eye when the tour ends in London next month.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

“We gave this process every opportunity to succeed, and Genco’s response has left us no choice but to withdraw our proposal at this time,” Diana Chief Executive Semiramis Paliou said Friday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Duncan said he reluctantly agreed to withdraw his compensation application, with the understanding that Murrill would then drop the matter.

From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026

How I now understand his need to withdraw and his relationship to his parents, and how much I’d like to help him when they argue.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

If he withdraws by Monday, though, local Republican officials in his district could approve a new nominee.

From Slate ● Aug. 8, 2026

Under Maine law, the state’s Democratic Party can replace him if he withdraws before 5 p.m. on Monday, July 13.

From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026

Another of Elliott's stable, Pied Piper, is currently 35th on the list and will get a run if one more horse withdraws.

From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2026

When Charlie withdraws during the Elton John number, Dangerously responds by saying that that music can be a safe place when you’re feeling lost, saying “Charlie Brown, you are home.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2026

Then the anguish subsided for a moment, as water withdraws briefly to dash itself once more against the rocks: he knew that it subsided only to return.

From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin

After his first meeting with Chesney, Martin withdrew his name from the portal and got to work in Westwood.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Wendy’s withdrew its outlook and slashed its quarterly dividend, as the company’s turnaround struggles to pick up steam.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

The former Manchester United and Barcelona forward joined Corinthians on a two-year deal in 2024, but is now out of contract after he said the club withdrew a previously agreed extension.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Former Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has confirmed he held talks over the vacant Netherlands job but withdrew because he wants his next job to be in club football.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

He nodded faintly, and took a deep breath which he released slowly as she relaxed her grip and withdrew her hands from his face.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

An initially withdrawn Teddy howled and wagged her tail upon seeing her owner, according to shelter officials.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Two others were denied and the rest were either withdrawn or were still pending, according to the DOJ.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Both charges were withdrawn after a brief hearing on Wednesday, court documents showed.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

"First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn and secondly," Uefa's statement said.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Kainene had always been the withdrawn child, the sullen and often acerbic teenager, the one who, because she did not try to please their parents, left Olanna with that duty.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The couple were due to appear in an Arkansas courtroom Monday but were able to skip the hearing after withdrawing their not guilty plea.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

Opens, he failed to make the cut the week after withdrawing from the Canadian Open with a hand injury.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

UEFA's threat to boycott World Cups if the private investment plan went ahead proved pivotal in Infantino withdrawing his sell-off plan.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

Right now, we’re withdrawing about $100,000 a year from our investments.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 8, 2026

Our people continued to lose their jobs, their businesses, and their homes as pressure was exerted to convince them to talk us into voluntarily withdrawing from Central High.

From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023